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M. GOLONEY. Breeoh-Loading Ordnance.

No. 225,461. Patented Mar. 16g-1880.

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EEST AVAILABLE COF UNITED STATES PATENT Ormes.

MYRON COLONEY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES HENRY MGLEAN,OF SAME PLAGE.

BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,461, dated March16, 1880.

Application led November 23, 1878.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Beit known that I, MYRON GoLoNEY, of the city and county of St. Louis,and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Breech-LoadingGannon, oi" which the following is a specification.

The subject of my invention is a cannon provided with a chamberedbreech-slide having a reciprocating movement transverse to the gun, andconstructed with two chambers or sets of chambers extending completelythrough from front to back, one of said chambers or sets of chambersbeing brought into position for loading while the other is in positionfor tiring, and vice versa.

The trunnions project from a rigid plate extending on each side of thegun, and Jforming a table on which the breech-slide moves. On this tableare hinged shutters, which close the rear ends of the respectivechambers while in loading position. The said shutters, when opened,admit of loading from the rear or allow the escape of the emptycartridge-case in loading from the front, and when closed prevent theescape of the cartridges rearward in case the gun is elevated to aconsiderable angle.

The improvements may be adapted to either center-fire or rim-:tirecartridges, or to cartridges with radial ring-pins either at the frontor rear end of the powder-chamber.

The invention is well adapted for heavy siege-guns; but some of theimprovements are applicable to field-artillery and some to smallarms. Itis especially designed for throwing torpedo and incendiary shells of myown invention, provided with a time-firing mechanism, and made thesubject of a separate application for Letters Patent.

The improved cannon herein described is so mounted that it may beelevated to any desirable angle, even to a vertical position, or turnedcompletely over for loading, if desired. The cannon is thus adapted forthrowing torpedoes and shells after the manner of a inortar, but withmuch greater accuracy both as to line and range. It is provided with atelescopic sight, which remains in ahorizontal or nearly horizontalposition, as required, without following the elevation of the gun.

The gun may be so mounted as to admit of training it completely roundwhen required.

In order that the invention may be fullyunderstood, I will proceed todescribe it as embodied in a single-barrel breech-loading can non,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa horizontal section of the said cannon. Fig. 2 is a vertical.longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectionot' the same without the carriage. Fig. Lis a verticallongitudinalsection of the breech, illustrating a modification.

The gun may be mounted on a table, 1, pivoted at 2, and trained bygearing 3, in any usual or suitable manner. 4 4c are the cheek plates orstandards, forming bearings for the trunnions 5 5, which are formed onthe extremities of a rigid breech-plate, 6, extending on each side ot'the gun 7, and either cast in one therewith or securely fastenedthereto.

The horizontal reciprocating breech-slide 8 is tted tightly within achamber prepared Jfor it in the breech of the gun 7, and the uppersurface ofthe plate 6, being on a level with the bottom of theexcavation in the gun, forms a table, on which the slide S is supportedas it moves out alternately on either side of the gun.

The slide is constructed with two chambers, 9 9, so placed that at eachextremity of its stroke one of the said chambers will be brought in linewith the bore of the gun while the other is exposed for loading, asillustrated in Fig. 1. The movement of the slide is effected bycrankgearing 10 and shaft 11, on which are pinions 12, taking into racks13 on the under side of the breech-slide. Shutters 14; 14: on eitherside of the gun, hinged at 15 15 and fastened by pins 16 16, give accessto the rear of the slidechambers when in loading position, but preventthe escape oi1 the cartridges therefrom when closed.

17 represents a breech-block in line with the bore, having a recoil-pin,1S, sliding within it, and carrying in front a follower, 19, which ispressed forward by the recoil-spring 20. This spring may be of steel andin spiral form, as shown in Fig. 1, or of rubber, in hour-glass shape,as illustrated in Fig. 4. The rubber spring of hour-glass shape has animportant 10o i .-a/AlLABLE COF function in packing the joints andpreventing` the escape of gas backward into the recoilchamber.

For center-nre cartridges I employ a firingpin, 2l, actuated by aspring, 22, and retained in iiring position by a trigger, 23, thepartsbeing` so combined that the force of the explosion will cock thepin automatically in readiness for firing, as described in anotherapplication ot' even date herewith.

Figs. 2 and 4 show also a vertical firing-pin or nipple, 24, pierced tocommunicate tire from a cap when required to be so used, and pressedoutward by a spring, 25, so that it will serve as a firing-pin withaprimed cartridge arranged for rear iire, as in Fig. 2, or for frontlire, as in Fig. 4, and having either a stationary pin or nipple for thereception of a percussion-cap, as shown, or a firing-pin acting' on aninternal cap. A hammer, 26, of any usual form, operates on the pin ornipple 24.

The chambered breech-slide 8, being made of tempered steel, can beaccurately fitted within its chamber, so as to be practically gastight,and at the same time will be free from liability to expansion ordistortion by the repeated explosions within it. It thus sustains thechief stress of the explosion and relieves the gun from the liability toweakening and ultimate bursting to which a gun made in one piece isnecessarily subject. By this expedient and the elasticity afforded bythe recoilspring 2() I eiectually obviate the liability or probabilityof bursting the gun.

The enlargement of the combustion-chamber produced by the recession ofthe recoil-pin or follower is advantageous in permitting the moreperfect and complete combustion of the powder, and hence increases theeii'ect of the explosion.

For heavy siege-guns, where the ammunition is necessarily handled lbymachinery, my system of construction and working affords great facilityfor loading either from front or rear, the powder and ball beingintroduced either together or separately, as preferred.

This description of the invention as embodied in a cannon with a singlebarrel and a slide with asingle pair of chambers will enable one skilledin the art to construct a gun having two or more barrels and acorresponding number of chambers at each end ofthe slide; but thedetails necessary in applying the invention to machine-guns orbattery-guns form the subject of separate application for LettersPatent.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. rIhe combination of the reciprocating chambered breech-slide S andthe hinged shutters 14, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A breech -loading cannon constructed with a reciprocatingbreech-slide', S, trunnionplate 6, trunnions 5, standards 4 4, andelevatinggearing, as and for the purposes explained.

MYRON COLONEY.

Vitncsses OcrAvrUs KNIGHT, WALTER ALLEN.

